About Willow Biosciences:

Willow Biosciences is a synthetic biology company focused on the development of biobased processes to produce ingredients, including those for consumer care, food & beverage, and pharmaceuticals. Our scientists engineer organisms to produce plant-, animal-, and petrochemical-derived ingredients through precision fermentation. Our fully integrated processes are more sustainable, secure, and cost-effective than traditional extraction or chemical synthesis routes and typically provide final products in higher purity.

Mission, Values, and Beliefs

It is rewarding to work at a company where people genuinely believe in what they are doing. At Willow Biosciences, we are committed to bringing high-purity compounds to market through scalable and cost-effective bio-based processes. We work hard, we are serious about what we do, and we like to have fun while we are at it!

Position: Associate Scientist, Computational Biology

We are seeking a motivated computational biologist with bioinformatics and data science experience to join our Computational Biology team and contribute to the metabolic engineering of biosynthetic pathways in microorganisms, specifically yeast. You will support Willow’s multidisciplinary team engaged in enzyme engineering, strain engineering, and process engineering with a state-of-the-art computational platform. Your primary role will be to provide data-driven design of libraries for strain engineering, which encompasses both genome and enzyme engineering efforts. Previous experience working in a biology laboratory or working closely with bench scientists is essential as you will be working closely with our molecular biology team and will need to understand how to interpret and develop bioinformatic analysis in that context. A strong desire to work in a fast-paced, collaborative startup environment is preferred.

Location: Mountain View, CA US

Education: MSc in Computational Biology, Data Science, Computer Science, Statistics, Systems Biology, Bioinformatics, or a similar field; interdisciplinary work is strongly encouraged.

Experience: 1-3 years experience analyzing biological data, examples include genomics, RNA-seq, multi-variate statistics, and machine learning with biological data. Demonstrated independent bioinformatic or data science project work preferably within the biotechnology industry. Knowledge of best practices for collaborative software development (version control systems, test-driven development, and good documentation habits).

Responsibilities Include:

• Perform analysis of genomics and sequencing to assist the team in decision-making.
• Run and maintain computational workflows for genome assembly, annotation, and other sequence analysis
• Provide support for other members of the computational team as required
• Working closely with other scientists (computational biologists, strain engineers, analytical chemists, and fermentation scientists) to provide ad-hoc bioinformatic analysis and data visualizations to be used in strategic decision-making for subsequent strain engineering decisions to meet company goals/milestones
• Ability to effectively communicate/present work and analysis to audiences with diverse technical backgrounds

Preferred Qualifications

• Bioinformatics and data science experience in Python or R
• Experience with machine learning and statistical modeling for biological data
• Proficiency in working on the command line in a Unix-like environment
• Familiarity with protein structural bioinformatics and genome analysis methods
• Experience with molecular biology methods and concepts
• Other requirements: the ability to work in a highly parallel manner, ability to work in a multi-disciplinary team; critical thinking and attention to detail; ability to plan, prioritize responsibilities, and multi-task; excellent housekeeping and safety practices; outstanding team player with strong interpersonal and communication skills (written and verbal), excellent documentation, and organization skills; a strong desire to grow as a scientific researcher, learn new techniques and adopt new technologies for process improvements, experience working with LIMS

Physical Demands:

• Remaining in a seated or standing position for extended periods
• Performing repetitive tasks with hands, fingers, and wrists
• Use of standard lab PPE (lab coats, safety glasses, and gloves)

Position Type: Full-time position

Travel: Not required

Work Authorization : Authorized to work in the US

Benefits:

• Competitive salary package, 401k, healthcare benefits, medical, vision & dental
• Paid vacation and company holidays
• Life / AD&D, Short-term and Long-term Disability Insurance
• Opportunities for professional development
• Snacks, weekly lunch, company, and team-wide social events

Equal Opportunity Employment

Willow Biosciences is an equal-opportunity employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or any other applicable legally protected characteristics. All employment is decided based on qualifications, merit, and business need.